The Lowdown: Ottawa University at Friends University
Location: Garvey Center
When: Saturday, Feb. 8 @ 3 pm
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Flying with the Falcons: The Friends University Falcons overwhelmed the Tabor College Bluejays 108-76 with all 15 players scoring Wednesday night (Feb. 5) inside the Garvey Center. The victory keeps the Falcons in a tie for the top spot in the KCAC with Oklahoma Wesleyan University at 14-3 in the league with an 18-5 overall record. Read the full recap vs. Tabor HERE!
KJ Spiller leads Friends and is fifth in the KCAC with 17.3 ppg along with a team-leading 6.0 rebounds per game. Cahlese Lee (12.5 ppg) and Randy Woolf, Jr. (10.9 ppg) are also scoring in double-figures this season to give the Falcons a balanced offensive attack. Wolf, Jr. is tops on the Falcons and tied for fourth in the KCAC with 3.7 assists per game, with Lee and Ring Deng each recording a team-leading 1.4 steals.
Scouting the Braves: The Ottawa University Braves have won two straight and are currently tied for third in the KCAC at 12-5 along with a 16-7 overall mark.
Jayden Hibbitt leads four Braves in double-figure scoring with 17.0 ppg, followed by Najee Jones (15.5 ppg), Keith Robinson (15.3 ppg) and Deondre Buggage (13.0 ppg). Robinson is tops on the Braves and fourth in the KCAC in rebounding (8.7 rpg), while Jones and Buggage are each recording a team-high 3.1 assists on the season.
The Series: The Falcons won big at Ottawa, 110-88 in the first matchup this season to snap a seven-game losing skid in the series. Since the 2004-05 season, the Falcons are 21-22 vs. the Braves, with an 11-9 record in Wichita.
Quoting head coach Phil McClintock:
"Every game this time of year is a big one and this is no different. Ottawa is playing well and is one of the most talented teams in the conference. We will need to play hard and execute on both ends if we want to win."
80 is a Serious Number: The Falcons are undefeated in the 13 games they've scored at least 80 points but are an even 5-5 when failing to reach the 80-point mark.
Glass House: The Falcons have won all 16 games when leading in rebounding but are just 2-5 when the opposition controls the boards.
Half Good: When taking a lead into the locker room this season, the Falcons have won 13 of 14 games. But they've gone 4-4 when trailing at the break and won the only time the game was tied at the half.
Straight Shooters: The Falcons are 16-2 when outshooting the opposition from the field but are 2-3 when the opposing team records a higher field-goal percentage.
SCHEELS: We are proud to have Scheels as a sponsor of Friends University Athletics this season! Click HERE for more info on the Scheels store in Wichita.
Kansas Army National Guard: We are thrilled to have the Kansas Army National Guard on board with us this year as an official sponsor! Click HERE to visit their website.
Falcons by the Numbers:
Overall record: 18-5
KCAC: 14-3
Home: 8-3
Road: 8-2
Neutral: 2-0
When scoring:
Under 50 points: 0-0
50-59 points: 0-1
60-69 points: 0-2
70-79 points: 5-2
80-89 points: 8-0
90+ points: 5-0
When allowing:
Under 50 points:
50-59 points: 3-0
60-69 points: 6-0
70-79 points: 6-2
80-89 points: 3-3
90+ points: 0-0
When leading at halftime: 13-1
When trailing at halftime: 4-4
When tied at halftime: 1-0
When committing fewer turnovers: 10-2
When committing more turnovers: 7-3
When turnovers are tied: 1-0
When leading in field-goal percentage: 16-2
When trailing in field-goal percentage: 2-3
When field-goal percentage is tied: 0-0
When leading in three-point percentage: 12-1
When trailing in three-point percentage: 6-3
When three-point percentage is tied: 0-1
When leading in rebounding: 16-0
When trailing in rebounding: 2-5
When rebounding is tied: 0-0
When leading in assists: 13-1
When trailing in assists: 4-4
When assists are tied: 1-0
In OT: 0-0
The Coaches:
Phil McClintock is in his second season as head coach of the Friends University men's basketball program.
McClintock brings a stark familiarity of the KCAC to Friends, highlighted by an eight-year tenure as Associate Men's Basketball Head Coach at Ottawa University.
At Ottawa, McClintock served as the recruiting coordinator and was responsible for film breakdown and scouting reports.
2019-20 was a breakout season, as McClintock brought in six of the team's top 10 players that produced a school-record 28 victories, a regular season KCAC championship and an NAIA Sweet 16 appearance (tournament ended early due to COVID-19).
In addition to his basketball coaching experience at Ottawa, McClintock has also been the Braves Men's and Women's Golf head coach for the past four seasons.
McClintock's first basketball head coaching position came at Salem high school, where he spent three seasons and guided the team in the 2014-15 campaign to their first winning record in eight years.
A strong developer of young players, McClintock has served as a Camp Coach at the KU Bill Self Basketball Camps every year since 2012. His responsibilities at the camp include running drills, coaching teams and developing player skills.
His first career coaching job was a two-year tenure as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at William Woods University from 2010-12.
McClintock also played collegiately at Ottawa and enjoyed immense success, earning two NAIA All-America honors, a pair of All-KCAC nods while finishing his career as the all-time leader in blocked shots and top five all-time in scoring, rebounding and steals.
An Ottawa University Hall of Fame inductee in 2021, he helped the Braves to two conference titles and a pair of NAIA Sweet 16 berths.
A 2009 graduate of Ottawa University in Physical Education and Health, McClintock then earned his Master of Education in Athletics/Activities Administration from William Woods University in 2012.
McClintock and his wife Kirsten have three boys, Lawson (15), Jackson (11), and Bodie (three).
Jamie Batish was named the interim head coach of the Ottawa University Braves in January of 2025. Overall, Batish is in his sixth season on his alma mater's staff following two years as a graduate assistant coach and three years as an assistant coach.
Batish's playing career includes time in professional basketball with the Sandringham Sabres of the South East Australian Basketball League in Melbourne, Australia during the 2016-17 season and the Cheshire Phoenix of the British Basketball League in Cheshire, England in 2016.
Collegiately, Batish played for Western Illinois University after playing two years at Neosho County Community College.
Up Next: The Falcons will be on the road for three straight games, beginning with a matchup Wednesday night (Feb. 12) for an 8 pm tip-off at Sterling College in Sterling, Kan.
